


Stay or Go

by yeahwrite



Category: The Wayhaven Chronicles (Interactive Fiction)
Genre: AU, Ambiguous Implied Character Death, Angst, Blood and Violence, Graphic Violence, Implied FD/Farah, Not Canon Compliant, Vampire Turning, Wayhaven Week, alternative universe
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-13
Updated: 2020-07-13
Packaged: 2021-03-05 03:08:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,747
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25247395
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yeahwrite/pseuds/yeahwrite
Summary: Douglas has gotten himself inadvertently into trouble several times before in the supernatural world.But the Detective might not be able to help the kid this time.
Comments: 1
Kudos: 6





	Stay or Go

She needed to call Unit Bravo.

She had managed for as long as she had, but her time had now ran out. She needed back-up.

But the phone, was out of reach, deliberately so by who had attacked her. Sent flying out of her hand the moment she had tried to make a call, for all she knew it could have shattered on impact.

She had to hope not.

Josie wretched out another cough that was just that bit too wet. The last blow that had sent her flying, having knocked the air out of lungs and cracked something inside of her.

The world swimming around, distorted and strange and nothing she could make any sense of.

Nothing, except the sound of Douglas screaming, the poor kid who wasn’t supposed to be involved in any of this, terrified and begging for her to be okay.

Josie hissed in pain. Pushing herself forwards, off of that wall, trying to force herself upwards with a yell, as her leg buckled and screamed in pain. Refusing to stop getting up all the same.

Ragged breaths.

“Let him go!” She managed to wheeze out, venomous anger lashing out from her lips, a desperate hatred burning, even as air continued to struggle to enter her lungs.

The man’s lips curled upwards. Sharp, canine teeth bared on display, as her vision continued to swim. Trained on her, as he moved closer and closer to Douglas.

The kid unable to flee. There was no way out of this place, that wasn’t through the attacker.

“No!” Josie screamed again, as her leg gave out again with a nasty grinding sound, sending her back to the floor.

“Listen to me. Just listen. We can talk, just tell me what you want, it has to be something. It doesn’t need to go like this! Just let him go. Please!”

A gagging sound from Douglas, as his screams were cut off. Hoisted into the air.

Pleading eyes, desperate eyes. Begging, hoping, believing in the woman that had saved him before, his mentor, to be able to save him again.

She would do it. She swore to do it. She had to save him.

“If you want my blood you can have it. Is that it? Just don’t you dare hurt him, just let the kid walk out.”

Pushing up once more, closer, closer.

But not close enough, not fast enough.

“I could already take it, Detective, have you not seen yourself? What do you possibly propose to do to stop me from having it all?”

DMB. DMB she had never wanted to have to use. Never wanted to have to hurt anyone ever again. Never, ever.

That and-

“The consequences. You can’t do it. If you kill us, then they will find you. You won’t get away with it. You know that right? Or is your ego just that bit too large? Unable to stand the notion of not kicking puppies or taunting injured humans.” Another breaking off into coughs.

“Well, if you have to get your fix, then you’re done. But if you drop the kid, then-“

“What, you’ll argue for leniency?” The vampire’s amusement continued.

“No, I think we both know that ship has sailed.”

A terrified whimper escaped from Douglas.

Her heart dropped. A sucking in of breath. Then she pushed herself forwards with all the strength she had left.

The man smiled sadistically and swatted her with ease. Aided by the fact her leg yet again buckled, failed her just at the last second. But Josie had known she would never face any different outcome than this. She was not a combatant.

She’d just needed to get close enough for a moment, trust in a monster’s love for games.

And sprayed the DMB directly at him.

Three people in the room screamed in pain at the same time.

Douglas dropped to the floor, the vampire convulsing.

And Josie was now close enough, to where the phone had been thrown, to crawl to it.

Please pick up. Please pick up. Please pick up.

“Babe? What’s up?” Farah’s cheery voice sounded through the phone. A lifeline.

“Wait – screaming. What’s going on? Where are you?”

“We need help.” Josie gasped out, as her eyes widened in horror at the critically wounded vampire once again rising again.

A hurried location given, as Farah’s fear only grew on the other end of the line.

“It’s over. You’ve lost. They’re coming.” Josie spat out at him, anger once again boiling over.

This was no Falk, no misguided maa-alused, operating on a different morality, that was at least willing to try understand…even if, ultimately, they had not. Had gone with rogues instead, for the sake of their kind.

No. This was not someone, with a different morality system, someone confused, or fearful for their kind.

This was someone operating on sheer malevolence.

“You’re not getting anywhere on that. Stand. The fuck. Down!”

Douglas meanwhile, was trying to edge his way closer to her from the room, slipping past the vampire. Skin as pale as a sheet of paper, dark coloured bruises around his neck, a sharp contrast against them.

“Not if I’m not the only priority.” The vampire snarled, once again baring all their teeth.

And then, in a blur of motion, he was on Douglas again.

And in the time between that, in the time between grabbing him and teeth ripping into his neck – there was only time to scream.

A terrified shriek abruptly again cut off, from Douglas.

And from Josie, a scream of sheer, unadulterated, wordless expression of a feral rage and hatred.

At the vampire.

At herself for her own helplessness here.

The vampire drunk what was needed to, straightening up that bit more for it, seeming that bit less wounded and able to go once more.

Before flinging the kid to the side like a discarded piece of trash and bolting through the door. Not wanting to be here any longer, now they had the opening they needed.

It was likely the only reason Josie herself was still alive.

But…Douglas…

Josie dragged herself over to him once again, as he lay there, twitching, painfully, whimpering sounds escaping from him.

She looked at the door too.

The Agency would say she should go. Follow the mission. Don’t go down, don’t lose track of the target.

But while she might work for them, she was not the Agency.

“Douglas, Douglas I’m here. Helps on the way, okay? Help’s on the way. You can make it. You’re going to make it.” She finally reached the kid, frantically looking over him. Eyes glassy, as the spasms continued. Blood pouring from his hands, trying to grasp at his neck, slipping out of the way.

“Don’t leave me.” Gurgled out.

“I’m not leaving you.” Her own hands grasped at his neck now, trying desperately to hold pressure there, without turning constricting. Remembering her own past, similar wound.

“I’m not leaving-“

A fresh shriek from Douglas as he arched back, tears streaking from his face, as a fresh violent spasm ripped it’s way through his body. Josie’s own hands almost slipping from the neck at that.

Having to quickly readjust her grip, so as the blood didn’t pour out even faster.

“You’re doing so well, I know it hurts, but you’re doing good kid. Okay? You’re going to make it, help is coming, I swear it.”

Part of her, started to think that this wasn’t like how when she had been bitten. She’d…it had been painful, but it hadn’t been like this?!

Especially as he continued to twist and jerk and writhe and the screams got louder than ever.

And then, it took a moment, but even amidst everything else – she realised, there was no more blood leaking from his neck. And she could no longer feel a wound there of any kind.

It…it was-? There…there wasn’t a wound. None at all. It was gone.

And that was when it had hit.

Why he wasn’t reacting, like she had to her bite wound.

Josie realised here, that perhaps the man had intended to kill her after all.

Through the kid. Get his blood boost, get his distraction…and…

Let a feral, newly turned…oh…

Oh fuck.

She wouldn’t stand a chance. Not like this. He would kill her. He would kill her and there would be nothing she could do.

Josie didn’t know anything about the process. Didn’t know how long it took. Didn’t know exactly what it involved. Didn’t know if it could at all go wrong.

She glanced at the door, once again, a brief flicker of doubt appearing on her expression.

If she ran now, if this process was fast, maybe she could get far enough away in time. Even with her leg. Then Unit Bravo could get here, help with Douglas.

Go or stay risk having her own neck ripped out once more.

But then Douglas let out a terrified wail again, this time accompanied with a horrific crack, that turned the wail into terrified shriek of pain. Shaking more violently, eyes looking desperately upwards, begging for help, for something, only to scrunch up with a fresh burst of tears as it became too much to deal with anymore.

…No. No, no she couldn’t.

“I’m here. I’m here, I’m not going to leave you. Just keep breathing. I’m here. Help’s coming. I won’t leave you. You can get through this.” She reached out and took one of those twitching hands, holding them firm between both of hers. Determined to try provide what sort of possible, meagre comfort she could here.

Speaking over more sounds of bone warping, a kid screaming and crying and hitting at the ground.

And the feeling of the bones in her own hand being squeezed more and more unbearably tight, as the tender comfort was gripped like a lifeline by someone in agony.

Tender words continuously echoed over and over, with nothing else she could possibly do.

As time ran out.

And worse of all, was when the kid started to get quieter and quieter. Screams turning into mere whimpers. Not even able to cry any louder than that anymore.

“You’re doing so well, okay? I’m so proud. You hear me? I’m so proud of you Douglas. ”

Said in the most kind, tender, reassuring voice that she could muster. As wetness threatened to run loose from her eyes.

_Please. Unit Bravo. Wherever you are, whatever you’re doing…get here quickly._

**Author's Note:**

> Feral/Tender for some reason, made me think of the mix between someone turning into a vampire and someone comforting that person.
> 
> Once again, references are taken from the writer's blog such as about this process.
> 
> I decided to leave the writing piece open ended on whether or not Douglas survived, but if anyone is interested the writer has actually answered an ask on who would and who wouldn't survive this process:
> 
> https://seraphinitegames.tumblr.com/post/190291602654/ohhhh-that-one-question-that-said-lets-turn-them


End file.
